Amen An Omen
The winter rain violently tapped across Stiles' window, parallel to the beads of sweat racing down his back. The same nightmare happened every few days. A spark flickered, shuddering the walls of an empty, dank room. It latched onto the Earth beneath it burning down the walls at a snails' pace. Usually, Stiles fought to go to sleep but now that the nightmares were intense he found himself fighting to stay awake. Sleep did not greet him with nightmares when he was joined in bed by a certain sour wolf. Stiles got pulled out of his sleep by a proverbial knock at his window. Rising out of his bed, Stiles was greeted with those hypnotic citrine green eyes that made a shiver writhe down his spine.
"Have fun rolling around in the dirt?" Stiles puckishly greeted the enigmatic wolf, who spent a fortnight alphing out in the hills. Stiles couldn't help but chuckle at his canine reference.
"Stiles kill the dog jokes." Derek replied deadpan as always, following closely behind the teenager. 'That's Derek for you.' Stiles thought. He didn't say much, but life had taught Stiles that actions spoke volumes against words. Stiles observed Derek's reticent behavior. Ever since the night the alpha or as Derek called him 'Uncle Pete' died, Stiles had not slept alone. Neither would admit but morning came too soon when they slept at each other's sides.
"Dad is going to be staying at the station all night so you don't have to run out like a vampire trying to avoid the sun." Stiles hopped unto the bed, dismissing the blanket and top sheet in his path. Werewolves were basically furnaces in their own right, so he found the blanket unnecessary.
"Alright." Stiles tilted his head, allowing Derek to swiftly change out of his view. Derek aligned his body next to the teenager. Stiles adjusted his body to make room for the wolf. He was trying to hide the fact that the thought of Derek changing was giving him wood.
Since the night at the carousel, Stiles made a conscious effort to not push Derek over the edge. Amongst the long list of questions lingering in Stiles' mind, one just happened to filter through his mouth.
"Derek, can I ask you something?" Stiles looked up at the wolf frowning, trying his best not to seem visibly worried. Derek had placed his arms on the back of his head, his biceps bulging in the process.
"You just did." Derek surprised himself when a grin appeared on his face, his eyes tracing the ceiling fan.
"Do werewolves have mates?" Stiles didn't want to think too closely at why this was so important, but he had to know.
"Yes." Derek turned on his side and their gazes locked, their intertwining legs followed suit. "Dude, that's awesome! Do you have some sort of mating season? Are you ever in heat? Can werewolves only mate with werewolves? If so what does that say for Alison and Scott? What does that mean for you and-" Stiles knew this could end badly but his mind raced with the possibilities. Stiles' further inquiries were hardly conducive to keeping his composure.
"Stiles if you don't shut up and get some rest, I'm going to demolish ever Batman collectible you own." Derek placed his finger on Stiles' lips only to have him protest. He muttered 'sour wolf' a name that Derek came to detest and then eventually nod his head in agreement.
Stiles curled over on his side finding this position to be almost familiar. Complacency percolated his body; he let out deep breaths at the older man's arm pulling him closer. Derek's warm breathe dancing on his neck was a comfort that elicited a sly smile. This regrettably led him to think about the times he went without Derek next to him. The older man sniffing him broke Stiles' concentration. "Why not gain more points on the creeper-meter?" Stiles questioned, not knowing that his sarcastic comments brought laughter to Derek when the wolf was alone.
"You got school tomorrow Stilinski get some rest." Derek's voice resonated a calm in Stiles that he found peculiar. Stiles often parsed when others spoke to him and Derek had a way of enunciating words that gave Stiles an insight to the man behind the wolf. Stiles shivered at the way Derek told him to rest, not sleep, but rest. His addiction to red bulls and adderall exemplified the cosmic differences between the two. His breaths quickened at the thought of waking up and not seeing the wolf next to him. Though his dad would be at the station by the time the sun rose, his mercurial conscious wouldn't let the notion that Derek was ashamed of him falter. It was the matching fear that plagued him as to why Derek hadn't kissed him or made the next move.
The sordid cuddling affair had been yet another secret that Stiles had to keep from his dad. To make things worse, he needed three showers to rid Derek's unwavering scent. A residual fear of letting Scott know about this rendezvous lingered in him. Along with that came a sorrow from hiding something he found such solace in. His eyes jetted open as Derek's hand gripped his hip. He grasped each fear tight to his chest but this fear was more corrosive than the others. He clutched this lone fear tighter than Derek was holding him now. Closing his eyes he pushed the noisy sigh that was dying to be let out further down his chest. He would enjoy this moment, the shared quietness.
Holding Stiles, Derek couldn't grasp the thought of being someone's mate right now. He wouldn't allow himself to think of the question that had been haunting him since he saved Stiles from the Alpha in the hospital. 'What if Stiles is my mate?' Derek hadn't considered his mate being human. A werewolf mating was the equivalent of a human finding their soul mate, but even then Derek the begrudging romantic did not believe in the idyllic connotation of soul mates. The vague talk between Laura and his parents shadowed his thoughts. "As werewolves our souls are dived between two bodies. Our mate shares the other half of who we are, without them we will never really feel complete." A werewolf mating with a human would make him weaker, thus adding a vulnerability to his pack. Derek would not stand for it. His heart was already broken, why have it shattered over a hopeless promise?
He shifted further on his side trying his best not to disturb Stiles. Fortunately he still was having difficulties transitioning as an Alpha, so he told himself that this was the last night. The last night he would hear the teen's rapid pulse fight to sync with his. The last night he would smell that peppermint musk with a note of aqua. The last night he would fight urge to claim Stiles as his, to seek shelter in him, to feel this spark of compassion. The spark of compassion only Stiles gave him. 'Yeah this will be the last night.' Derek thought before resting his eyes.
…
"So promise you won't laugh?" Alison carefully placed her finger on the left side of her lip, fighting back a smile as the other hand clutched the paper to hover near her face.
"I said I wouldn't! Now come on." Scott's grin showcased his million dollar dimples.
"Heart beating rapidly yet no pulse
Rivers running still
Trees dancing
On my knees
Teardrops of ecstasy
Heaven in reach
Rebel sirens screeching
The plague encroaching
Tears become oceans"
A slight tension tiptoed into the room. For the first time in their relationship Allison twiddled her thumbs. She raised her head after reading the paper only to see Scott with a somber look on his face.
"I told you I'm not good." Allison couldn't help but be embarrassed after opening up to Scott. She reached into her backpack to show the paper back in her binder.
"No…I get it…is that how you feel about me? About us?" Curiosity struck Scott; he tilted his head, his eyebrows rose causing his forehead to be rather lumpy. Allison's long black hair entranced him until their eye his jaw tightened in succession. He found it perplexing that he did fully grasp everything she just said.
"Yea it is." Allison pushed Scott on the bed her head placed on his chest. Often he wondered who was the coyest out of the two. He curled her hair with his finger eliciting a lip bitten smile from her, while she mimicked the same motions with her fingers on the mole near his chin.
"I like that I make you feel like the rivers run still and the trees dance. You make me feel things too." Scott's words rang one question in Allison's head 'How do I make you feel?'
"Like?" Allison questioned after her giggles died down. Her head lifted her chin now sat on his chest.
There it was, her laugh made him question the reality of the moment, he couldn't think of anything more comforting.
"You make me feel like I'm not the kid with asthma on the sideline. Like I'm special, like for the first time someone knows me." Scott tilted his head once again to lock eyes with the girl. Allison needed to realize the circumference of his affection toward her.
Allison rolled over to Scott straddled him to her bed. She smiled at the sound of her sheets rustling. A scarlet flush drowned her cheeks as her heart pounded the rush of adrenaline contributing to her euphoria. Bended over slightly, she inched towards his face, her legs shaking at the warmth radiated from Scott underneath her. Her breathe fell on his lips and she could no longer look in his eyes. Her lips pressed against his. Their tongues began to wrestle as Allison's fingers slid across his arms before she pinned down his wrist.
"Wait, stop. Your Dad's car is about half a mile away." Scott placed her gently off his lap.
Allison complied with a simple head nod and walked over to her window to end her night with Scott.
"I guess this is goodnight." Scott made his way out the window before he slipped a quick peck on Allison's lips causing her to blink hard.
"Scott let's leave." Allison grabbed Scott's shoulder, catching her breath as their eyes met.
"What do you mean?" Scott looked into her eyes searching for a glimmer of hope.
"Let's leave Beacon, let's let the whole supernatural drama drown before we drown with it." Searching for hope Scott was left with desperation. It had been two weeks since Allison had found out that he was a werewolf, that her family came from a long line of hunters, and her favorite aunt was killed in front of her by his Alpha.
"Allison I don't know if-" Scott was interrupted by her plump lips sliding and grinding across his. The passion between the two was tangible leading to the hairs on Scott's neck to straighten. When she took charge like this Scott's inner wolf pleaded to be liberated from his human form. A deep growl struggled in his throat before he reached for his anchor.
"Okay I'm in." Scott broke away from the kiss and ran towards his home leaving Allison to stare at the moon above her.
…
"Again? Can we take a detour on the struggle bus? Does winter rain mean anything to you or your immune system?" This was the eleventh time Jackson had asked Danny to spar within the last two days for three hour intervals.
"Dude don't complain, it stopped raining twenty minutes ago plus getting all hot and sweaty with me got to be a bonus for you." Jackson's eyebrows arched as his lascivious banter twiddled on the line of what was appropriate between the two. A devilish grin landed on his face while Danny invariably rolled his eyes in response. "Now bow bitch." Jackson bent over to pay his respects. The entire weekend Danny had been teaching Jackson Kapu Kuialua, a.k.a. Lua. The Hawaiian martial art Jackson remembered watching Danny's father teach him when he was seven.
Instincts took over as Danny threw himself into a protective stance as Jackson charged him. Jackson went in for a blow to Danny's right cheek only to have his fist caught and arm locked as Danny pressed hard on his elbow eliciting a yelp from Jackson.
"Uncle!" Jackson yelled wildly not wanting to bear the felling of his socket being ripped out of his elbow. Danny loosened his grip too leisurely for Jackson's comfort causing him to yank his arm from his best friend. As Jackson rubbed his elbow he observed Danny who now stood a few feet away, his arms rested at his sides.
"Why do you keep insisting to do this in the woods? Must be some new kink that you shake the ketchup bottle to at night." Danny eyebrows furrowed, his remark was laced with a puckish but serious tone.
Danny broke his gaze from the ground when the sound of twigs snapping alerted him to his right. Still rubbing his elbow Jackson looked over only to see a thin veil of velvet mist highlighted by the sun setting. "Jax it's getting late and chilly, plus lacrosse practice tomorrow. Were not in top shape, I'm sure coach won't buy the old 'Jackson and I were playing in the woods' excuse'." Danny stated he sucked in a deep breath after words regaining control to even out his breathing.
"You're skipping anyways to go see Lydia in the hospital asshat." Jackson insulted. Danny lowered his eyebrows in a mocked scowl.
"Yeah douche lord but the better question is why have you been absent at her bedside since that night?" Danny picked up his weapons from the ground. His back faced Jackson made him unable to notice the nuanced culpable expression fleeting from the other teens' face.
"Next subject." Jackson let out a dejected sigh, his attention fixed on a small garden snake wrapping itself around his right shoe.
He didn't have to discuss it, Danny already knew the problem. Hell Danny knew Jackson so well he knew the square root of the problem. Danny knew that right now was not the best time to talk.
"Race you! Last one to the get in car has to do the others homework!" Danny digressed as he ran further to the right to Jackson's car; he threw the weapons towards Jackson to slow him down.
A light smile forced its way on Jackson's face after he caught the flailing weapons. The young men hadn't raced each other often since Jackson was slower. Since they were young Danny knew how to make him smile, laugh, or cry. Danny understood Jackson like no one else.
Jackson couldn't help but look back one last time. Something wasn't right, the trickles of blood beneath his feet not coming into his view.
Jackson emitted a derisive laugh while he held the keys in Danny's eyesight as he approached the Porsche. The engine ignited. Jackson tapped the button to bring down the passenger window. "You do my homework for the rest of the week I'll let you in?"
"Dude are you kidding me? Don't you show your true colors right now and leave me in the woods." Danny indignantly grimaced he pulled at the door handle violently. He balled his fist as he witnessed Jackson press up on the button. Seeing the window shut he saw Jackson's foot step on the gas. Danny stepped back as he watched Jackson drive off. "Jax my patience for this bullshit is thinning dude."
As if his words whispered on the wind and hit Jackson's ears, Danny watched as the Porsche reversed ten feet. Jackson reached forward and opened the door as he saw Danny square his shoulders. Laughter echoed in the car after hearing the ragged "Bitch." fall from Danny's lips.
…
The lights dimmed in the 'Velvet Rope', as whispers from the crowd fell upon her ears. The beautiful melody began to play as the lights set on the stage. Crimson painted lips, light blonde and brown curly wave's coiffed to perfection, and those sultry clear green eyes with a hint of frailty. Demure posture with sprinkles of grace. Her hourglass figure threatened the seams of the red sequin gown. Walking to the microphone one was awestruck at her indelible stage presence. Her eyes fell on the ground as the bills being thrown at her came into view.
"Settle down fellas we haven't started our fun just yet." Her velvety voice intoxicated the audience. She winked out at the crowd eliciting another round of cat calls.
"You had plenty money, 1922
You let other women make a fool of you
Why don't you do right, like some other men do?
Get out of here and get me some money too…" The chanteuse's hips swung in unison with the beat. Her back pressed against the stage wall she highlighted her supple breast and plump caboose. Moseying into the crowd the stage lights traced her illuminating sex appeal, hitting every note with effortless precision. A patron placed his hand firmly on her thigh only to be met with her pulling off one of her gloves and slapping him, enforcing the 'you can look but you can't touch' rule of the club.
"You're sittin' down and wonderin' what it's all about
You ain't got no money, they will put you out
Why don't you do right, like some other men do?
Get out of here and get me some money too," She stepped up on the bar as all the men removed their drinks making room for her to strut. She was arduously making love to the crowd, making their eyes follow and their mouths drop. She was sex in heels.
"If you had prepared twenty years ago
You wouldn't be a-wanderin' from door to door
Why don't you do right, like some other men do?
Get out of here and get me some money too." Never breaking eye contact with the crowd she used her right hand to guide where she wanted their eyes to linger on her body. A man she walked near stood up from his chair to catch a better view. Her gaze entranced him; she reseated him, and her fingers brushed against his face. She placed her hands on her hips accentuating her curves more. The girl had the audience's full attention, as well as their wallets'.
"I fell for your jivin' and I took you in
Now all you got to offer me's a drink of gin
Why don't you do right, like some other men do?
Get out of here and get me some money too
Why don't you do right, like some other men do?
Like some other men do." Slowly placing herself on a man's lap she seductively moved in close. Her breast grazed his chest until he reached in for a kiss, she tightened his tie to startle him back into reality.
Sitting at end of the stage she sung the second to last verse. She pulled the gentleman up from his chair, her lips puckered to make the perfect O shape, close to his lips her breathe on his face, she sung "do" into his mouth. Releasing him she sauntered back into the curtain holding the last homophony.
"Let's give one last round of applause for Kimberly Vixen!" The entire room rose to their feet to give a standing ovation and cat calls. Some men purposely avoided each other's gazes now that the crotches of their pants were too tight.
"Girl you killed out there, I see ya serving them old school glamour couture while paying the rent tonight hontea! Guess my first instincts were wrong for once." Izzy Love told Kimberly who removed her stage makeup in her glam chair.
"Fairy tales, fables, and fallacies. Your first instinct told you to give me a chance and you know it." Kimberly looked over her shoulders to smirk at Izzy who leaned against the door frame.
"Don't get all big headed Betty Boop. You still have so much to learn Baby Spice. You ain't tasted this Posh Spice just yet. Next week, same time, new material?" Izzy asked. Beaming as she walked off onto the stage to get ready to close for the night.
"Yes Mrs. Beckham." Kimberly giggled. She had worked hard the previous week to put on an astonishing performance and by the looks of the nine hundred dollars on the table her goal was complete. She looked over the room while she changed into her Free City sweats and a Beverly Hills 90210 t-shirt. 'I haven't broken these beauties in just yet.' She thought not wanting to take off her stilettos.
"So Kimmy can I book you for being part of the cleanup crew seeing that we're closing in about two hours?" Stephen the bouncer asked. Kimberly's eyes darted at the clock.
"Oh my goddess." Kimberly gathered her things from the counter running down the staircase where the lower level of the club became 'The Jungle'.
"Why do they all run when I ask that question?" Stephen followed her down the stairs. "Wait we need your legal name for the check." Stephen taped Kimmy on the shoulder.
"Oh yeah it's Parker, Parker Frost." He took his wig off, getting out of character and headed straight for the door.
…
Nightfall caressed the trees that bristled like never before, causing Parker to turn around and get lost in the woods.
"A pretty little girl gets lost in the dark woods not even knowing she's been followed. How does the story end?" Parker heard a voice come from behind him.
"How about with you begging me to stop?" He faced three men with a devious smile. Parker noticed each man held a weapon in their hand. Their ignorance and motives so obvious that each developed a scent. The tallest one stood to the right clutching a crowbar, the shorter one stood on the left toting some thick rope, while the 'Moe' of the group broke a beer bottle near a tree intending to use it as a shank.
"See I was hoping you liked it rough-" The 'Moe' of the three smiled his shank pointed at Parker. "Wait, boys is that a chick with a stick? Guess it's our lucky night! This far out no one ain't nobody go hear you scream."
"Can I pencil you guys in later I'm going to miss To Catch a Predator."Parker stated. Parker stood in his defensive position as the two men on the left and the right ran towards him. "Guess not."
He leaped in the air his feet connecting with each mans' jaw. The twosome hit the ground from the backlash as Parker fell into a back handspring to regain his balance. The middle man charged at him swinging the broken bottle towards his face. Near the third missed swing Parker used the man's knee to launch off of, and send a lotus kick to his face. "The three stooges never delivered on the funny, but Moe you're seriously lacking in entertaining me. You realize I led you here for a reason right?" Parker quipped. Parker viewed the other two men had begun to recover. Parker sprinted over to one of the men building up enough momentum to land an axe aerial kick. Facing the tallest man now he kicked his shin, Parker threw three jabs to his face ending it with a wire fu kick to his solar plexus.
Meanwhile the shorter man picked up the crowbar to the left of him, striking Parker in the face with it as his buddy hit a tree with a loud thud. Parker turned to face him, before he could land the second blow Parker landed a right kick to his chest followed up with a left kick to his inner thigh, finishing with a back flip to kick the man in his chin. From the corner of his eye Parker noticed the 'Moe' of the group crawling on the ground, he ran towards him as his high heel snapped.
"Stop." The man's pants reeked of urine and the pain was evident in his voice.
"I think we will just riddle this one up to poetic justice." Parker crouched next to the man seeing that his name tag read Abe.
"Please don't." Abe pleaded, his head rose.
Parker punched the man laughing at the sound of his jaw breaking. "That was for breaking my heel and newsflash mook I'm a drag queen not a chick," Parker ran off into the night.
…
Parker walked over the threshold entering his room and began to hide his drag essentials. Midway through hiding things there was a knock at his bedroom door.
"Mouche a mielle, ce viens?" Parker heard his Cajun grandfather question him from behind the door, his eyes darting to the barrier between the two as his head followed in pursuit.
"Yeah Gramps, just getting ready for school tomorrow," Parker replied. Trying to not be conspicuous he tip toed around his room only to knock over his phone that could be heard vibrating on the other side of the equator. "Shit." he mumbled under his breath.
"Parker James Frost, you watchin' In & Out?" Parker huffed under his breath opening his mouth to protest only to be interrupted. "De porn edition?" Parker could hear his grandfather's devious smile and knee slap from a mile away.
Parker sucked in a deep breath. "Gramps we've talked about this there is a limit to how cool you can be with me being gay!" Parker yelled through the door placing his heels under his bed. Though he knew he was blessed that he never had to come out of the closet but everyone just knew.
"De limit not exist. Obama's got my vote. What's de ol' sayin joie de vivre?" His grandfather leaned against the door knowing that his grandson was probably being neurotic and didn't want anyone coming within five feet of him without deodorant.
"Gramps! Whatever you do please stop quoting Mean Girls, Clueless, Varsity Blues, and the rest of my Blu-Ray collection." Parker glared in his vanity removing the last traces of make-up from his face, while simultaneously searching for bruises. He put a bathrobe on finally opening the door for the older man.
"Jambalaya on de table," Parker watched his grandfather as he bustled around his room. The older man puckered his lips while furrowing his eyebrows letting a "Uh-huh?" escape his lips. Though he knew they had just moved in over the weekend Parker had a fixated tendency to have everything organized.
"Thanks I'll be down in a few. I've got to plan my schedule for tomorrow." Parker guided his gramps out of his room and watched him as he went down the stairs.
"Yers godda lil spice en yer rice. Tryin' not to confuse you wit' yer sister." His grandfather shouted with a pinched look on his face. The mention of his sister fueled him with annoyance. Parker nodded his head in agreement before he walked into his room.
Parker opened the leather bound planner in front of him. The layers of make-up washed away from his face, the wig, and dress now hid underneath his bed. He smiled in comfort at the thought that he finally got to walk that tight rope. The pen struck the pages while his thoughts projected the cheers from the crowd in front of him. A dream had been tasted, a dream that was ripped in two by his duty to obtain his future law degree.
…
"Good thing we go on Christmas Break, after this week it'll be nice to feel normal for awhile." A heavy sigh left Scott's lips as he reached into his backpack for a pencil.
"Broski come on you're a werewolf, your girlfriend descends from a line of werewolf hunters, Lydia is in the hospital, Jackson's lost it, and Derek is the alpha. Yeah normalcy is going to knock on our door real soon." Stiles gripped his hands in a fist, placing them on his head, huffing at the thought of his statement. Scott nudged Stiles gesturing to the new kid walking into the room passing Mr. Harris some sort of note.
"Class we have a new student in town, Parker Frost. Why don't you go ahead and introduce yourself to the class. Tell us where you're from, something that you like, and your favorite sport." Mr. Harris directed the classroom's attention to the new kid in front of them.
'Who spiked Mr. Harris coffee?' Scott thought. The teacher was nicer than usual when he smiled at the new kid. Scott wasn't aware that Mr. Harris knew how to smile.
"Hi! I'm Parker I just moved here from New York. This is my first time at a public school. Uh I like Old School Hollywood and my favorite sport is shopping." Danny's mouth dropped as he surveyed new kid. The refraction of light bouncing off of his caramel skin made him appear deity like. His dark features distinguished the shade of chartreuse green eyes that could only be found on the softest of hummingbird's feathers. 'Aren't most guys afraid to embrace their femininity?' Danny thought. Something told Danny he couldn't be mistaken for most guys.
The Janet Jackson key earring dangling in his right ear was the first clue. Wearing white pants with a cascading burgundy shirt attributed to his sprightly aura. Danny had a rule not to date guys with long hair, the only exception being Jason Momoa. 'Maybe Parker could be an exception to that rule, Danny thought, shrugging his shoulders when he realized Parker's hair was longer than Jason's. Danny felt the young man's eyes permeating him 'Is he looking at me,' Danny jumped at the thought. Rejection washed over Danny when he saw Jackson letting his hand down to ask a question.
"Do all guys from New York wear dangling earrings or just the ones that haven't been in public school?" Letting out a heavy sigh Danny hit Jackson in the arm as laughs came from the back of the class room.
"Do all the femmephobic jocks from Beacon Hills wear too tight 'Abercrombie and Fitch' sweaters on clearance or is it just at this school?" The entire classroom erupted with laughter as Jackson looked down at his sweater and ducked his head in embarrassment.
"I'll be seeing you in detention Mr. Whittemore. Parker, go ahead and have a seat next to Mr. Lahey." Scott and Stiles' laughter came to a halt as their gazes meet. 'Did the teacher's pet just get a detention?' They were used to thinking in sync. Parker moseyed over taking a seat next to the kid who hid his face beneath a monochromatic baggy hoodie, the way their chairs were aligned Parker never got a view of Isaac's face.
Danny stared at Parker in class, he knew somehow he had to muster up the courage to speak to him before the day was over. He tried to convince himself that he just wanted a friendship since he already had a boyfriend. Parker thanked the heavens that his brain was wired to work faster than others'. Whenever Mr. Harris asked a question, the class grew silent but Parker took the initiative to answer. He had actually proven the textbook wrong about a section over covalent bonds.
Lunch was after Mr. Harris' class then school was done for the day. Parker thought that every school day was like this until he overheard two cheerleaders saying that the rest of the week were going to be half days. Parker knew that since no one had went out of their way to introduce themselves he would skip the awkwardness of having to sit by himself by just leaving school. First he had to get the keys to his house out of his locker. Parker never broke the rules it was who he was but he would for him.
The walk to his locker was vexatious to say the least; one of the boys from his chemistry class had been staring at him all day, causing Parker to call his personal hygiene into question. Now the cute kid with the crooked chin and peculiar smell was coming over to his locker.
"You're the new kid in Mr. Harris's class? Parker right?" The guy held Parker's locker door open making Parker silently laugh to himself that this kid did not know what personal space was. His five-foot-ten statue hovered over Parker's small five-foot-six frame. Parker tried to focus on anything but the guy's chocolate eyes.
"Yep that's me and you are?" Parker silently cursed himself for being so coy. It wasn't in his nature but he refused to be another 'experiment'.
"I'm Scott my bad, well uhm dude I was wondering if you could help me with the homework that's due Friday since I kind of have this gift for not passing-"
"Most would call that a curse." Parker interjected.
"I look on the brighter side of things. So how about it? Starbucks tomorrow after four?" Scott asked rather childlike, his dimples adding to his innocent demeanor.
"Yeah sure," Parker peeked in his locker searching for anything to focus on, eventually he looked over to smile at Scott whose dimples inadvertently made Parker's knees tremble. 'Dimples seriously my kryptonite!' Parker thought. His smile grew wider at the thought of Scott not being able to read his mind. Parker didn't know if he had been asked out on a date or if this guy was just wanting help, but Parker knew he couldn't turn down the possibility of making a new friend.
"Thanks man, see you then." Scott stated, as he bounced on the tips of his feet. Soft quaint giggles escaped Parker's mouth as he saw the teen turn around and walk off into the halls.
"Damn, now he's just reaching for my Achilles heel!" Parker whispered staring at Scott's butt as he walked away. Parker grabbed his keys to his house out of his locker. As it shut he saw the flyer for the school play entitled Romeo and Julio a modern spin on a classic. "Sounds promising." Parker took the flyer down and began to walk to his motorcycle.
…
Shock painted Parker's face as he pulled up to the Hale Victorian Manor. There laid the scattered ashes of some of his most cherished childhood memories. Once a symbol of unconditional family love had now become a shivering bedraggled emblem of despair. The stone and chestnut wood that encased the outer layers of the home were now burned and withered to remains. Even the cherry blossom trees that use to tickle the home had succumbed to the darkness surrounding it all. Walking up the steps Parker silently prayed for courage to knock on the door.
His prayers went unanswered as he pivoted to walk to his motorcycle. His face grimaced at the thought that he would have to find some other way to get in contact with Derek and Laura. Sighing heavily he made his way down the last step until a daunting voice broke him from his trance stopping him in his tracks.
"What are you doing on my property?" A familiar voice fell on Parker's ears as his tense shoulders relaxed at the familiarity. Parker took in a deep breath turning around to see an older shirtless Derek. Parker ran up to his former baby sitter wrapping his arms around him, only pulling back when realization sunk in that the hug hadn't been returned.
"Derry! It's me Parker." The frigidness emitted from Derek became palpable. "Laura and you babysat me when I was like yay high." Parker raised his hand three feet above the ground hoping to achieve some sort of recognition, only to be met with a cold lingering stare.
"I know it's been like forever but you're still my big bro right? I mean it's not like I would let anyone else call me marshmallow." Derek's face had already tensed up at the mention of Laura, now he had tossed Parker a look that sent chills through his body then the sting of goose bumps set in. Not a look of anger or even intimidation but one of woe.
"Derry doesn't live here anymore." Derek stated. Parker recognized the anguish in Derek's eyes' he saw it every time he looked in the mirror after his parents died. Derek slamming the door in his face was the nail in the coffin for him. Parker defied the urge to knock on the door and attempt to console Derek, but he knew that he couldn't force that on him. Derek had always been stubborn that was one thing Parker saw time hadn't changed, but this wasn't the Derek he knew, nor the Derek he lovingly called Derry. 'Where the hell is Laura?' Parker thought, 'And Vanessa, MJ, Charlie, Mama Hale, Papa Hale, and Uncle P?' Parker broke away from his thoughts and glanced back at the house one last time. A longing to catch a glimpse of Derek dissipated through him, only to view the barren Hale home sitting on its mortified foundation. Parker sprinted out of the woods. He made his way to the library to do some investigating before the auditions for the school play.
…...
Time had become frozen. A raw feeling had approached inside her and began to make itself at home. She knew how to smile and convince everyone that she was okay, her mom aiding her in finding some hope in it all. She knew that it was a lie, all of it was. After the sleepless nights, the crushing weight that sat on her chest, she pleaded that sunshine would come in the morning and bring a sense of ease. Realization dawned on her that her grief knew no mercy. Then a spark, a glimmer of security would come when the moon was at its fullest, when his arms enclosed her and he whispered, "Everything is going to be okay". Speaking with such confidence and faith, he fed her hope that there could be some sort of salvation. He had become her anchor.
"Allison," Scott's soft voice pulled her out of her thoughts and back into reality. She was engulfed in his arms as they sat on the hood of his mom's car in the woods.
"Yeah sorry I was just thinking," Scott opened his arms up so she could stand to look him in the eye.
"I was asking where you want to go. I set up a tutoring sesh with the new kid Parker, so I can have an alibi with Stiles. You're not rethinking this are you?", Scott asked searching in her eyes for doubt. He knew running away with Allison wasn't the best course of action, he knew that people might miss him, and he knew that it would be near impossible for it to work. 'But what can I do?' was the question that bounced around in his mind. He knew what he could not do, he could not live without Allison, he could not let Allison run away with no protection, and he could not be irresponsible when it came to the person he loved most. He had gotten to a point where he placed Allison's needs before his.
"Minnesota! I think it would be pretty entertaining to see you on a farm with cows, chickens, and goats." Allison beamed causing Scott to have a dumbfounded smirk on his face.
"You want to go live on a farm?" Scott let out a breathe of confusion. Allison ceased to surprise him.
"Yeah, plus the first place my parents would think to look would be outside the states and to answer your question, no I'm not having second thoughts about this. I don't know where my future lies but I know you will be in it." Allison closed the distance between her and Scott who was now leaning against a tree. His werewolf speed made him hard to keep up with sometimes. Wrapping her arms around his neck she could hear him whiffing her hair as he placed his arms around her back. Allison lived for these private minutes with Scott, these gentle moments that warmly consumed her. Her right hand fell, gliding against the tree as she tried to make out the words, but Scott pulling her in for a kiss redirected her attention. Unknowingly she had grazed the letters M-U-L-O etched neatly into the tree.
…
"Sir its past visitor's hours." Danny looked up to see the blonde nurse pointing her finger out towards the door. He rearranged himself as he got up from his chair. He bent over to place a kiss on Lydia's hand hoping she might flicker her shut eyes, desperately searching for a response. Lydia was healing. The doctors said her body had significantly improved after the traumatic occurrence, but her mind was a different subject. Danny wasn't family so he didn't know the core details, but he had been by her bedside enough to know that Lydia was suffering from a severe form of PTSD. When she was lucidly holding a conversation her sudden screams could be heard through the wing of the hospital. Fear infringed on Danny instantly, he had never seen someone have a break with sanity but his instinct told him not to walk away.
It was undeniable that Lydia and Danny's friendship started off on the wrong foot. When their freshman year started Danny and Jackson were welcomed by the graduating senior class to the lacrosse team. Soon it was evident that Jackson would inherit the throne of 'Lacrosse King', and every king needed a queen. 'Well at least in Jackson's case', Danny thought. Thus Lydia Martin entered the picture.
Lydia was the girl that developed before all the rest, she oozed sexuality yet her bratty ways showcased her girlish innocence, and her calculating ways were iconic. Once Lydia and Jackson started dating Jackson and Danny's bromance came to a halt. Danny knew the inevitable would happen now that they were in high school, the camaraderie that they had, their slogan 'bros before hoes' would no longer ring true. In his mind it wasn't a contest, they weren't vying for Jackson's attention, or his insults. When it came down to it Jackson had assured Danny more than once that their friendship always came first.
So why did it sting so much when he started forgetting to meet up on Tuesdays for pancakes before school, or coming over to play the latest 'Kill it before it Dies' for thirty minutes then leaving after getting a text message. He had to vocalize feelings out or his chest would explode. Eventually Danny gave into the impulse to speak out. When class let out the next day Danny marched to Lydia, each step intensifying he was so close that he could smell her Chanel perfume. "Look I know you and Jackson have gotten closer in your relationship recently—"
"He said I love you last night." Lydia interrupted Danny, swinging her hair out of her face while grabbing her lip plumper and smoothing across her lips. She threw him that 'I'm bored with this conversation' look that only she could perfect. Danny's eyes widened as his mouth dropped. 'Jackson Avery Whittemore does not say I love you to anyone.'
"Well that's cool and all but I need my—" Danny tried his best to cover up the agitation laced in his voice.
"Ok. We can share Jackson." Lydia closed her locker and began to move forward, abruptly ending the conversation."
"I don't think you get it Jackson and I have been best friends since we were 8 I've seen his—" Danny's voice rose out of frustration, while he silenced the urge to punch the nearest locker.
"No I don't think you get it. Jackson is going to be the 'King of Lacrosse' and I only date royalty! Now I'm offering you a chance to share him so take it Daniel." Lydia pressed her finger into Danny's chest. The sound of his back hitting the locker startled him. As she walked away he had to regain his composure as to not alert the masses. Maybe it was the way she walked off into the distance with an extra dose of glee in her step, maybe it was her obvious declaration that she was royalty and would be treated as such, or maybe it was the way she called him 'Daniel' striking fear in his heart. Whatever it was she had gained his respect. Shortly after, his friendship with Jackson went back to normal.
"Sir you have to leave now." The nurse leaned against the doorframe, as she grew frustrated at her futile attempts to get Danny to leave. Danny hung his head down as warmth filled his eyes, unaware that he shed a tear until he heard plop on the stark white sheet.
"Get better Queen Lydia." Danny placed one last kiss on the teen's forehead. The stillness of her face made him recall his mother's collection of china dolls. The porcelain skin, the rosy cheeks, her heart shaped lips, and those big round hazel eyes that lay shut. 'Lydia yearned for life. How can she lay in this cold sterile room? How did she become so frail?' Danny thought looking back one last time at Lydia.
Danny closed the door behind him, his head raised as his lips formed a slight smile. His view set on the lone figure in the waiting room curled into a chair. He took three steps closer to get a better view.
"Mama I don't want to go to school I want to stay home and bake cookies with you." Danny heard the figure speak as he fell into a lyrical snore. Realization dawned on him that it was none other than Jackson. It was no secret that Danny and Jackson were intensely obsessed with the film 'Space Jam' as kids. The nurse walked past Danny to wake Jackson up until Danny stopped her asking who the guy in the chair was.
"That's Lydia's husband he is here every night," pulling on her stethoscope one could easily tell she was nervous about the subject.
"Lydia's sixteen." Danny stated rather bluntly hoping to get a telling reaction out of the nurse.
"Her parents confirmed it and that's all we needed to know. I can't stress anymore how you should be leaving." Danny chuckled at the statement. He walked over to Jackson, placingna kiss on his cheek he whispered, "You get better too my King," in his ear before walking out of the wing giggling to himself. The thing about Jackson that Danny loved besides the mole on his left butt cheek was that he always got it right. When it was all said and done Jackson did the right thing.
…
Derek Hale no longer lived. These past five months he existed. Throwing the book across the room from where he sat on the couch he huffed in frustration. It was all the same every book he read or movie he watched got it wrong, they tried to rationalize loss make it so that you have these 'stages'. When someone is taken from you suddenly there is no rationalization. As long as he breathed from that moment on his world would be altered. His body was once filled with the love for his pack, now was just a shallow carcass. Crying was a stress relief; a way of letting tension escape your body, but Derek would no longer allow himself the luxury. Thinking back to it he remembered the last time he wept, the last time hot salty tears flowed from his eyes. Two days after he buried his sister on the side of his home, he came across her old ballerina shoes in her room. This room he had become fearful of but always found himself spending all of his time in. Derek knew that she would never need her ballet shoes again but how could she dance without them? So he dug, to bury them along with her.
He remembered in perfect clarity what he his thoughts were afterwards. Sitting by her grave and starring into nothing too lost in his own head to see anything, he had thought of the months leading up to the fire. How Kate had manipulated him, how treacherous he felt lying to his pack about his whereabouts, how is family died in the fire, how he wished he died with him, and in the many ways he had.
The memories of his family triggered a familiar almost comforting anger for him. It motivated him to find the alpha, after that he had been so sure he could be at peace and begin to properly grieve.
Derek left the living room and walked aimlessly; stopping in the kitchen he paused staring at the kitchen table, one of the few things to remain unscathed from the fire. He could hear the yells echoing through the halls, dreams that never came to fruition; he could still smell the embers from the burning of his family's skin. That is what he clung to. That was why he stayed in the Hale house.
He was a vessel of wrath and anguish lashing out at anyone who attempted to come close. Now that he was an Alpha clutching these emotions was as easy as clutching his parents wedding rings that hung from his neck. Wearing a mask for the last five months Derek no longer knew who he was. Until the most unexpected thing happened six hours ago…Parker Frost stood on his doorstep.
That had thrown him, Parker was a part of the past that Derek didn't allow himself to think about, the good parts. He and Laura had taken to the boy when his family had originally moved to town, he had been but a toddler yet he captivated the whole Hale pack when Laura first brought him home to babysit. Parker's own older sister was not the nurturing type so he quickly announced that Laura was his sister much to both families' amusement. Derek could feel the sting from the slap of memories seeing Parker had unearthed. Looking at the staircase Derek could see Parker as a child proclaiming to the entire Hale household how he was going to marry Peter at Disneyland. One of the many reasons Parker captivated the Hales is he sparked a light from within those around him, which was ironic given his true nature. Derek eventually bestowed Parker the name of 'marshmallow' on his third birthday due to Parker's soft mannerisms.
Soon after, the three of them were thick as thieves and the Frosts had unofficially become pack, until Parker's departure from Beacon Hills. 'Marshmallow's' appearance after losing Laura so suddenly resurrected emotions that Derek did not have the energy or time to deal with. So he reacted in his current nature, he ignored his humanity. In the past five years one thing helped him put it all in perspective. A jog under the full moon would outrun the memories.
Derek let his hand glide against the smooth glass window. Shutting the world off to go for a run awareness settled in, he didn't know where he was. Leaning away from the window taking a few steps back on the balcony, he remembered the looming mountains causing the sagging frosted trees to sparkle like diamonds. Crystal snow crunched under his boots as the whimsical scent of vanilla livened the timberlands. It was a scent reminiscent of pack, of family. Derek leaned over the railing, trying to piece together the puzzle known as his memory. Though Derek had wolfed out he still had to suppress every urge to howl seeing as how the hunters were now on full alert. He could hear the roar building in the pit of his stomach before he eventually swallowed the sound. Derek pushed his mind further, desperate to grasp his lost memories.
Derek followed the scent not realizing he was leaving the woods, his boots chasing pavements underneath him. He took the back alley ways hoping to avoid any interactions with humans, hunter or not. His body was in a state of limbo. He fought to regain control of his basic motor functions but it made his body betray him. Snuffling the air continuously, Derek's brain could not focus on anything else but the vanilla aroma.
The sound of Derek bending the balcony rail forced him back to the present. The confusion of his whereabouts triggered a state of shock; his senses reflexively kicked into override. Drowning his nostrils the vanilla musk caused him to pinch the bridge of his nose. His ears tuned into the orchestra of heartbeats, one heartbeat stood out above the rest. Derek heard Stiles' heart beat. The chaos climaxed as Derek turned to look in the window. Derek's brain short-circuited while he gasped for air. His tongue thumped the roof of his mouth hoping to stop the dryness from spreading. His stomach crumpled and his heart was ripped from his chest shattering before him. Any insecurity he had was being validated in this moment. Derek witnessed Parker and Stiles kiss.